Avid Pro Tools Carbon Pre 24-Channel Preamplifier

Expand your Pro Tools | Carbon-powered studio up to 24 channels of mic/line inputs. Sonically exceptional, Pro Tools | Carbon Pre is an 8-channel preamp that provides the same transparent preamp design and stacked ADCs as Carbon, providing 32-bit conversion to capture every sonic detail. With a Carbon Expanded system, you can tap into the Pro Tools Hybrid Engine for low-latency input processing-with remote preamp control through Pro Tools. Or use Carbon Pre to expand or replace preamps in a Pro Tools | HD system.

Get all the inputs you need for large tracking sessions and multi-mic live recordings. Each Pro Tools | Carbon Pre provides eight mic/line preamps and eight-line outputs, enabling you to expand your Pro Tools | Carbon-based studio up to 24 mic/line inputs and 24-line outputs total. Two Variable Z instrument inputs, 8 x 8 line I/O, ADAT I/O, and Word Clock I/O provide even more connection versatility.

Get impeccable sound quality across your entire system, from capture to output. With superior audio conversion, stacked ADCs, double resolution clocking, and our most transparent preamp design ever-the same preamps as in Pro Tools | Carbon-you can capture every sonic nuance of a performance with the greatest depth, dimension, and clarity. Even optimize or color the tone of any mic or instrument input with Variable Z impedance switching.

No need to access your interface to make changes. You can remotely control, save, and recall all of your preamp settings-including phantom power, gain, and impedance switching-directly in Pro Tools across all Pro Tools | Carbon-connected interfaces. And with instant session recall, courtesy of the virtual assistant, you can quickly switch between sessions without any manual setup and reconfiguration delay.

With up to 24 mic/line inputs available in a Carbon Expanded system, you can capture live performances easily in pristine sound quality, making it an ideal companion for your next gig. You can also use Pro Tools | Carbon Pre as a standalone 8-channel preamp, enabling you to use it to expand other systems. And because it’s EUCON-enabled, it integrates with Avid control surfaces for seamless recording and mix control.

Got an existing Pro Tools system that needs more mic pres? Use Pro Tools | Carbon Pre as an 8-channel preamp expansion unit to scale up your I/O, with the flexibility of remotely controlling and recalling all preamps right from Pro Tools. Or replace an aging Pro Tools | PRE and enjoy better performance and pristine sound quality. Integrate up to nine Carbon Pres in an HD system through your interface’s ADAT inputs-get all the configuration details here.

Technical Specifications

System requirements
Pro Tools | Carbon or ADAT interface for system expansion; can also be used as a standalone mic preamp
General
Simultaneous I/O
24 x 24
Audio resolution
Up to 32-bit, 192 kHz
Mic preamps
8
Phantom power
+48V
Integrated monitoring and talkback
No
Form factor
1U rack
Dimensions (H x W x D)
1.8 x 19 x 13.5 inches (45 x 482 x 343 mm)
Weight
11 lbs (5 kg)
Connectivity
2 AVB Ethernet ports for Pro Tools | Carbon I/O expansion
Maximum I/O expansion
Pro Tools | Carbon supports up to two Pro Tools | Carbon Pre interfaces for up to 24 mic/line inputs and 24-line outputs
Inputs and outputs
Analog inputs
8 balanced XLR/TRS mic/line inputs with Variable Z (impedance) on inputs 5-8, remote controllable from Pro Tools - learn more
2 unbalanced Variable Z 1/4-inch TS instrument inputs
8 balanced line inputs (DB25)
Analog outputs
8 balanced line outputs (DB25)
Digital inputs
ADAT: 16 channels @ 44.1-48 kHz, 8 channels @ 88.2-96 kHz, 4 channels @ 176.4-192 kHz
Digital outputs
ADAT: 16 channels @ 44.1-48 kHz, 8 channels @ 88.2-96 kHz, 4 channels @ 176.4-192 kHz
Other I/O
Word Clock I/O
A/D conversion
Mic preamps
Dynamic Range: 126 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -105 dB (0.00056%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
EIN: -129 dB (A-weighted)
Line inputs
Dynamic Range: 125 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -106 dB (0.0005%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Line inputs (True Bypass)
Dynamic Range: 126 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -113 dB (0.00022%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Instrument inputs
Dynamic Range: 125 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -103 dB (0.0007%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
D/A conversion
Line outputs
Dynamic Range: 120 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -110 dB (0.0003%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Monitor outputs
Dynamic Range: 120 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -110 dB (0.0003%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Headphone outputs
Power: 100 mW into 300 Ohm; 200 mW into 32 Ohm
Dynamic Range: 116 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N (32 Ohm): -87 dB (0.0045%)
THD+N (300 Ohm): -100 dB (0.001%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz, ±0.1 dB